Review:

on 2011-08-07 CharlesMartel Said:

My opinions on this album have shifted radically since I first bought it. My motive for purchasing it was to discover something which I had not heard and which I thought I might like to explore further. This seemed like a reasonably safe punt to gamble on  for gamble it was. Initially I felt I had made a good choice and after one or two listens I found myself liking it quite a lot. It seemed as if my gamble had paid off.

My initial impression was that this was an album which absolutely grows on you, but it sure takes its time. The Music seemed to have taken their original premise of a combination of dance and frenetic-rock, and upped the rock part of it at the expense of the dance part. In my view, that was a wise choice. When I listened to their first album I found it to be more coherent and I quickly came to the conclusion that I did not care much for their first album. "Welcome to the North" seemed to offer a more structured approach to their talent. The production was very forward in the sense that it almost offers a wall of sound. Most of that was achieved by the very powerful, cymbal-heavy percussion. As I said, it took me a while to get into this, but it was worth it as far as I could see.

But the more I listened to it, the more I fell out of love with it. My initial reaction has perhaps been based more on the fact that it was something different to what I had been listening to for some time, and less on whether it actually was any good. OK, I admit, its not all that bad. Its just not as good as I first thought. And that is why I have changed my opinion about the album and now regard it with less satisfaction than I originally did.

The first thing which struck me when I listened to it again for the first time in ages was Robert Harvey's voice. After two songs it really began to piss me off. A high-pitched nasal whine in the vein of Geddy Lee was not really what I wished to hear. Then the sound itself  the cymbals which had so appealed to me on first listen now seemed to to be in danger of drowning out the rest of it. Much of the blame for this can perhaps be laid at the feet of Brendan O'Brien who produced the album. Now I realise that he made his name producing bands like Pearl Jam, but his efforts here have been to push this album too close to the mainstream sound without it ever having any hope of breaking into the mainstream.

The additional CD, which showcases their stage act, is better. Two of the tracks from their first album feature here (thankfully two of the better ones) and they manage to hold the set together to demonstrate that their ability, once shorn of the over-production which bedevils the studio CD, is something which ought to stand the band in good stead. Surprisingly, the wall of sound effect manages to manifest itself on the live set as well. Too often, the effect is attempted and failed, leaving just music played at a painfully high volume - literally. With this additional CD, owing to the need perhaps to restrain Harvey's voice from overpowering everything, it works slightly better.

Whether they will have much of a future is a pertinent question. I havent heard their third album  perhaps I should check it out - but if it drifts further towards the mainstream the Music will become unlistenable in the vein of Franz Ferdinand and Snow Patrol. It would be a shame indeed if they allowed their promise, for promise there is, to be sold out to the allure of making a quick buck by producing more of a mainstream style of music, taking them away from the potential they have.
Rating: 6/10